Yuji rolled his shoulders once.
"Yeah, yeah."
Then he looked at me again.
"Are you going to do the scary sorcerer stare the whole time?"
"Probably."
He laughed.
"Cool."
And before either of us said anything else—
He swallowed it.
Just like that.
For half a second… nothing happened.
The wind moved through the trees.
A crow called somewhere in the distance.
Yuji blinked.
"…Huh."
Then his body jerked.
Hard.
His hand slammed against the crate beside him.
The wood cracked under the impact.
Cursed energy exploded outward in a violent surge that rippled across the entire field.
Nanami stepped forward instantly.
I knew that feeling.
I had felt it before.
Yuji's head slowly lifted.
But it wasn't Yuji's expression anymore.
His mouth stretched into something that wasn't human.
A grin too wide.
Too pleased.
When he spoke—
The voice wasn't his.
It was low.
Four eyes opened where two should be.
Ryomen Sukuna looked straight at me.
Recognition flickered across his face like he had just spotted something entertaining.
"Oh?" he said softly.
"That's interesting."
His head tilted slightly.
Like a predator studying something unusual.
"Well, well."
That smile widened.
"I was wondering when you'd show up again."
And suddenly—
Before I could even lift my hand to complete the sealing jutsu I had already activated—
Something moved.
I saw Nanami shift.
Or maybe I didn't.
Because before my brain could process anything—
A hand wrapped around my waist.
Cold.
Strong.
Before I could even gasp—
The ground vanished.
Wind slammed into my face as the entire world blurred.
Buildings stretched into streaks of light.
The city warped around us like someone had ripped reality open and dragged us through it.
The pressure of cursed energy was overwhelming.
My lungs tightened.
My ears rang.
We moved so fast my brain couldn't even process direction.
Then—
Everything stopped.
My feet hit the ground unevenly.
I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before falling.
The air felt different here.
Quieter.
When I looked around—
We were far from the school.
An abandoned industrial district.
Broken concrete.
Rusted steel frames.
Collapsed pipes.
The skeletal remains of factories that had been empty for decades.
No people.
No traffic.
Just wind scraping through hollow metal.
And him.
Sukuna stood a few steps away, casually brushing dust off Yuji's sleeve like nothing unusual had happened.
My heart was pounding.
"What the hell—"
The words came out before I could stop them.
"You dragged me across the city?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at me again.
Then he started walking toward me.
Slowly.
I froze where I stood, my feet rooted to the cracked concrete as he closed the distance between us.
His eyes, sharp and unyielding, locked onto mine with an intensity that made my skin prickle, the wind whipping around us like a living thing, carrying the metallic tang of rust and decay.
Every step he took echoed in the empty air, his presence overwhelming—tall, broad-shouldered, with that eerie aura that clung to him like a shadow.
My pulse hammered in my ears, a frantic rhythm that betrayed my fear, but beneath it, something else stirred, a heat that uncoiled low in my belly as his gaze raked over me.
He stopped just inches away, so close I could feel the warmth radiating from his body and smell the faint, earthy scent of him mixed with the musty air.
"You started to smell exactly like her."
For a moment my brain didn't even process the sentence.
"…What?"
His gaze flicked down to me again.
"Her," he repeated, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me, his hand lifting to trace a finger along my jawline, slow and deliberate, sending shivers racing down my spine.
The touch was electric, his fingertip rough against my skin, and I couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped my lips as he tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes.
His other hand settled on my waist, pulling me closer until our bodies pressed together, the hardness of his chest against mine igniting a flush of arousal that I couldn't ignore. "You don't even know what you're carrying," he murmured, his breath hot on my neck, his words laced with a hunger that mirrored the ache building between my thighs.
Dia, for fuck's sake, control your hormones.
Why the fuck are you reacting to a cursed spirit wearing a high-schooler's body?
"Who's her?" I asked, attempting to wriggle out of his hold.
"You really don't know," he murmured.
"That's a weird way to answer a question."
One eyebrow lifted.
"Bold."
"You kidnapped me."
"I moved you."
"That's kidnapping."
He actually laughed.
Low.
"You dragged me halfway across the city," I said flatly. "The least you could do is explain yourself."
His lip twitched.
Not quite a smile.
"Explain?"
He sounded almost offended.
"Do I look like someone who owes explanations?"
"You look like someone who panicked because I was about to seal you."
For half a second—
Something dark flashed across his face.
Sharp.
Violent.
Interested.
Then he laughed.
Slow.
"You think that little trick of yours scares me?"
I shrugged.
"If it didn't, you wouldn't have run."
The air shifted.
Cursed energy flooded outward like a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure.
For a moment I thought he might actually kill me.
Then—
He exhaled.
And the pressure vanished.
"Careful," he murmured.
"That mouth of yours is getting very close to suicide."
I tilted my head.
"Still didn't kill me."
Silence stretched between us.
His gaze sharpened.
Then he chuckled.
"You're either brave," he said, "or unbelievably stupid."
"Maybe both."
He studied me for another long second.
Then his tongue clicked softly against his teeth.
"Unfortunately," he muttered, almost to himself, "I can't kill you yet."
"Why?"
"Because if I start a fight," he said lazily, "that brat might wake up again."
He tapped the side of his head.
Meaning Yuji Itadori.
"Annoying little thing."
I frowned.
"So this whole dramatic kidnapping—"
"I told you," he interrupted. "I moved you."
"—was because you're scared Yuji will take control?"
His smile sharpened.
"Scared?"
He stepped closer again.
My hands clenched at my sides, but as his lips brushed the sensitive skin just below my ear, a slow, teasing contact that made my spine go rigid.
What the fuck is happening right now…
What the heck? Is this stinky curse, like, drawn to me or something?
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
I could feel it clearly.
Nanami.
Obviously.
But there was absolutely no way I could reach it.
"You really enjoy saying dangerous things."
I didn't step back.
"If the truth is dangerous, that sounds like your problem."
His eyes narrowed.
Then he laughed again.
And this time the amusement was genuine.
"Interesting."
He circled me slowly.
Like a wolf deciding whether something in front of it was prey—
Or something stranger
"Tck."
"That brat is coming back to his senses," Sukuna muttered in clear disappointment.
His gaze returned to me.
Cold.
"The only reason you're alive," he said quietly,
"It is because I find your stupidity mildly amusing."
The wind howled through the empty factory ruins.
And suddenly I had the uncomfortable feeling—
That this encounter was far from over.